June 10th was a day of rest from the traveling we had been doing for the last few days. The room I shared with my roommate had a view of the mountains; when the clouds and sunlight came together just right it made an amazing sight. A few of us decided to hike the ruins overlooking the town. We had trouble obtaining the student fee to enter, but we worked it out.
One of the hiking challenges was the effects of altitude. My heart rate skyrocketed moments after we started climbing the stairs. We took breaks to catch our breath, drink water, and take pictures of the incredible views of the neighboring ruins. Later on, we hiked the free ruins of Pinkuylluna, which were adjacent to the ruins we hiked that morning. Pinkuylluna highlighted another hiking challenges: big drops with no guardrails. I never moved unless I was sure of my footing and my grip on the rock. Our hike took us even higher than where we hiked on the ruins earlier in the day.
Below are images from our hiking adventures.
